Multiple draft and pressure gauge



Allg- 2, 1932- A. B. CUNNINGHAM ET AL 1.,870000 MULTIPLE DRAFT ANDPRESSURE GAUGE Original Filed April 15, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I l l l ll lll 2v Sheets-Sheet 2 Aug.,2, 1932. A. B. CUNNINGHAM E1' AL I MULTIPLEDRAFT AND PRESSURE AUGE Original Filed- April 13, 1925 Patented Aug. 2,1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ARTHUR B. CUNNINGHAM AND ALBERT F.SPITZGLASS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AS- SIGNORS T0 REPUBLIC FLOW METERSCOMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPO- RATION 0F ILLINOIS MULTIPLEDRAFT AND PRESSURE GAUGE Reled for abandoned application Serial No.22,630, filed April 13, 1925. This application filed July 13,v

1925. Serial No. 43,161.

This application is a substitute for our prior application, Serial No.22,630, filed April 13, 1925, and contains improvements over the deviceshown in the prior application that have been found to be essential forpractical operation of the invention.

This invention relates to an instrument for indicating the operatingconditions of apparatus such as boiler furnaces in which variousportions of the apparatus are subjected to different pressures, some ofwhich are usually drafts below atmospheric pressure and others of whichare greater than atmospheric pressure. y

One of the objects of the invention 'is to provide an indicatinginstrument in which a number of pressure conditions may be indicated byan instrument having a plurality of indicators arranged closely adjacentone another. v

A further object is to provide an indicator which shall be of improvedconstruction and operation and which shall be economical to manufacture,and convenient and eficient t operate.

The invention is exemplified in the combination and-arangement of partsshown in the accompanying drawings and described in the followingspecification, and it is more particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In the drawings- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a combined draft andpressure instrument showing one embodiment of the 4present invention.

Fig, 2 is a section substantially on line 2- of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the instrument shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In the operation of many forms of apparatus, such as boiler furnaces,the efficient operation depends upon the pressures in the various partsof the apparatus. In some parts of the apparatus there will be draftswhich will reduce the pressure to'an amount below atmospheric pressure.In order that the operator may know the condition of operation in allparts of the apparatus'it is desirable to have an instrument which willindicate the various important pressures so that they may show thecondition in each compartment. Such an instrument must be so arrangedthat the operating parts may be brought into compact space thus makingit possible to arrange the indicators close together. been found veryconvenient and eflicient for this purpose is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings.

A base plate or frame 10 carries an elongated well or reservoir 11having inverted floats or bells 12 suspended therein, the lower ends ofthe fioats being sealed by oil or other suitable liquid. The upper endsof the floats 12 are connected by pivot links 14 o,

One form of apparatus which has to lever arms 15 pivotally mounted onshafts Y dulum rod 26 extends downwardly from each of the sleeves 2,0and is provided with an adjustable weight 27 for returning the numeralwheel to normal zero and for calibrating the instrument.

Pipes 28 extend upwardly through the bottom of the well 11 and open inthe interior of each of the respective floats. The lower wall of theframe 10 is bored to form a connection between each pipe 28 and aconnecting tube 29 which leads to a particular portion of the apparatus,the pressure of which is to be indicated by the instrument unit withwhich the pipe 28 is connected. The front portion of eachof theIinstrumentunits is covered by a glass 8O through which the graduationson the numeral wheel may be seen. Markings 31 are provided on theinstrument frame .to indicate the reading point.

The section shown in Fig. 1 shows a draft unit of the instrument and itwillbe apparent that when the pipe 28 is connected with ment screw 37.

atmospheric the exhaustion of air from the float 12 will permit theexterior air pressure to force the float downwardly into the liquid 13.This will rotate the lever arms 15 and 21 in a clockwise direction, asshown in Fig. 2, and impart a downward movement to the graduations onthe front face of the numeral wheel 25. The amount of movement willdepend uoon the degree of vacuum being measured ano the reading on thefront of the instrument will correspond to the draft within the chamberto which the particular unit is connected. As many' instruments may bearranged side by side as there are compartments in a particularinstallation, the pressures of which are to be indicated. A glass panel32 may be arranged above the openings through which the readings aremade and this panel may be marked to designate the particular chamberwith which the corresponding instrument unit is connected. In the rearof the panel 32 are .disposed electric light bulbs 33 for illuminatingthe characters on the panel. These bulbs are arranged in a chamber 34:wliioh is separated from the instrument by the glass partition 30 andwhich is provided with ventilator openings at its top. The light bulbs33 not only illuminate the panel 32, but also illuminate the front facesof the numeral wheels 25 so thatthey may be easily read.

' 'I Vhere pressures above atmospheric are indicated, the movement ofthe float 172 will be upward instead of downward.

The' plates 17 are arranged in pairs, one at each side of thecorresponding numeral` wheel 25. The plates of a pair are held in fixedrelation to each other by the shafts 16 and 24. The entire unit is thusself-contained and may be lifted bodily from the instrument frame ifdesired by removing the retaining screws 35 from the supporting lugs 18.An adjustment arm 36 extends outwardly from one of the plates of eachpair and is connected at is lower end to an adjustlilach unit may beindividually shifted on its pivotal supports 18 by adjusting thecorresponding screw 37. Movement of the unit about each pivotal supportwill change the position of the shaft 2t'rela.- tive to the shaft 16 andthus produce a slight rotation of the numeral wheel 25 aboutr its portedon one of the plates 17. The magnet is arranged with its pole pieces adjacent the In this way the wheel may be accu- 1 rim 39 of the numeralwheel and a soft iron bar or keeper di-O is arranged adjacent the outerface of the rim 39 in registration with the pole pieces ofthe magnet 33.By this arrangement the lines of force set up by the magnet 38 penetratethe rim 39 so that rotation of the numeralwheel will tend to set up eddycurrents of electricity in the rim. This of course will resist rotationof the wheel and bring it to rest, thus avoiding the vibrations whichwould otherwise be present and producing a dead-beat instrument.

We claim zl 1. A gauge comprising a. vertically movable hollow float,means for connecting the interior of said float with a source ofpressure, an indicating wheel, an adjustable means for supporting saidwheel, and means for connecting said wheel with said float forindicating a function of the pressure tof which said floatis connected.

2. A pressure gauge comprising a well, a hollow float supported byliquid in said well, a lever Connected with said float, a pendulum,weight secured to said lever and depending from the fulcrum thereof, arotary wheel, a segment connected with said lever, and a pinion securedto said wheel and meshing with said gear segment to rotate'` said wheelwhen said float is moved vertically.

3.l A pressure indicatingv instrumentl com- 'prising indicatingapparatus, a housing for enclosing said apparatus, a light source withinsaid housing for illuminating said apparatus, said housing having atransparent wall Yilluminated by said light source and having charactersthereon for designating Vthe character of thereadings of saidinstrument, and aepartition for separating said light source from saidapparatus.

y Ll. A pressure indicating instrument comprising an indicating wheel, acasing for said wheel, partition walls forming a chamber adjacent saidwheel, and -a light source disposed within said chamber, said chamberhaving a transparent wall illuminated by said light source and havingcharacters thereon for designating the nature of the indications of saidwheel..

5. Arpressure indicating instrument com- 'Y prising a plurality ofindicating wneels arranged side by side, a panel disposed adjacent saidwheelsand having designations for different ones ofsaid wheels, a sourceof lightu disposed in the rear of said panel, and means for separatingsaid source of light from said wheels.

G. A pressure indicating instrument comprising an elongated well,bearing members.

supported from said well and extending for wardly therefrom, indicatorwheels journaledrin" said bearing members, floats .disposed side by sidein said well, and means connecting each of said floats with the cor-...

responding' wheel to rotate said wheels.

7. A pressure indicating instrument comprising a rotary wheel havingindicating characters on the periphery thereof, pressure actuated meansfor rotating said wheel, a pendulum means operating connecting saidpendulum with said wheel for normally returning said wheel to Zeroposition and a damping device for arresting rotation of said wheel.

8. A pressure indicating instrument comprising a dished sheet metalwheel having a peripheral rim, pressure actuated means for rotating saidwheel, a pendulum means operatively connecting said pendulum with saidwheel for normally returning said wheel to zero position, a magnetdisposed within said wheel, with the pole pieces thereof adjacent theinner face of said rim and a keeper for said magnet arranged inregistration with said pole pieces at the opposite side of said rim fromsaid magnet.

9. A draft or pressure gauge comprising a character wheel, float meansconnected with said wheel for rotating the same, means for connectingsaid float means to a source of pressure, a pendulum for said wheel,means operatively connecting said pendulum with said wheel for returningsaid wheel to zero position, and a damping device associated with saidwheel.

10. A gauge for registering a function of a pressure comprising a dishedsheet metal character wheel having a peripheralrim pro- Y vided withCharacters on the outer surface thereof, a float, means operativelyconnecting said float with said wheel, means for connecting said floatto a source of pressure, an adjustable support for said wheel, apendulum, means operatively connecting said pendulum to said wheel,means for moving said support to effect Zero adjustment of said wheel,and magnetic means for inducing eddy currents in said wheel to effectdamping of said wheel when rotated. Y

11. A pressure indicating device comprising a rotary character wheelhaving a spindle, pressure actuated means for rotating said spindle, anadjustable support for said spindle, a pendulum connected with saidmeans to vibrate when said wheel is oscillated, and means for adjustingsaid support to eect zero setting of said wheel.

12. A multiple draft and pressure gauge comprising a tank, pipesadjacent the bottom of said tank and extending upwardly into said tankabove the normal liquid level in said tank, bell floats arranged oversaid pipes and extending downwardly into the liquid to be sealedthereby, indicating wheels, connections between Vsaid indicating wheelsand said floats, supports for said indicating wheels, and means foradjusting said supports to thereby vary the relation of the operativeconnections between said indicating wheels and said iioats.

18. A pressure indicating device comprising indicating means includingliXed and movable elements, pressure actuated means for actuating saidmovable elements, and adjustable support for said movable elements, andmeans for adjusting said support to effect Zero setting of saidindicating means.

14. A pressure indicating device comprising indicating means including arotary character wheel, a pressure actuated means for actuating saidwheel, an adjustable support for said wheel, and means for adjustingsaid support to eect Zero setting of said wheel.

15. A pressure indicating instrument comprising a rotary wheel having asheet metal rim, pressure actuated means for rotating saidl wheel, and amagnet vdisposed within said wheel with the pole pieces thereof adj acent the inner face of said rim for inducing eddy currents ltherein toproduce a damping effect on the rotation of said wheel.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification onthis 17th day of June A. D. 1925. Y

ARTHUR B CUNNINGHAM. ALBERT F. SPITZGLASS.

